I do my best to contain and restrain the 10-year-old side of my personality, usually with a fair degree of success. But sometimes it’s just not possible. Like when wielding the pistols used by Star-Lord in the upcoming Marvel space opera Guardians of the Galaxy.

In that case, there is only one course of action. You pick the guns up off a table laden with various props from the movie, you point them at an imaginary alien menace and you loudly say, “PEW PEW PEW PEW!” Because what else can you do?

At the legendary Shepperton Studios outside of London, an 1,800-square metre warehouse is home to the myriad props and set pieces used in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, hitting theatres Aug. 1. Or rather, the warehouse was home to these props – filming wrapped last fall, and the weapons, gadgets and alien artifacts are probably catalogued and stored somewhere else, like the Ark of the Covenant languishing in a dusty government facility.

But during a visit last September to Shepperton Studios’ soundstages – home to everything from the original Star Wars to next year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron – I got to handle several hunks of hardware that will soon make their debut on the big screen, from the twin blasters used by Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) – aka Star-Lord – to the mysterious metal orb being sought the film’s baddie, Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace).

I don’t think I squealed audibly. But I’m not sure.

Movie prop-making has come a long way since modellers were gluing rubber grips on a camera flash tube to create Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber, said Guardians of the Galaxy property master Barry Gibbs. Nowadays, sophisticated 3D printers mean a prop can go from concept to physical reality in as little as 24 hours.

“You could have an illustration in the morning, and within a day have someone produce a 3D model of that,” said Gibbs, who has overseen the creation of props for dozens of films, ranging from the mighty hammer Mjolnir in Thor: The Dark World to Inception’s briefcase dream machine.

It’s heady stuff to be able to touch the physical bits of a movie you’re super-stoked to see, and Gibbs was surprisingly OK with visiting journalists going hands-on with props that were, in some cases, fragile and expensive. I wielded the “hero prop” version of Drax the Destroyer’s knives – heavy, mock blades made of real metal, for wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista’s close-up shots – as well as the twin fighting sticks used by Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Peter Quill’s vintage 1980s Sony Walkman, one of 16 that Gibbs’ team managed to track down through online auction sites.

Holding onto these sci-fi weapons might make a person feel like an action hero, but the transformation into these characters involved tedious makeup applications for many of the actors. Bautista, for instance, had to undergo a 4-1/2-hour session every day to become the menacing Drax, whose grey-tinged skin bears a network of red tattoo-like scars.

“He has to stand there with a team of five people around him,” said special makeup effects designer David White, whose team created 120 sets of the 18 silicone prosthetics that cover Bautista in the film.

“All this is stuck solid to his body. It won’t come off,” said White. “The glue is a medical adhesive, very strong.”

Unfortunately, the Guardians of the Galaxy crew declined my request for a set of Drax’s prosthetics and a pair of his prop blades to take home for my Halloween costume this year. I pretended not to be disappointed, but the 10-year-old me was crying on the inside.

Zoe Saldana on her love of sci-fi: 'I'm doing what makes me happy'

It’s not easy being green. But for Zoe Saldana, it’s damn well worth it.

Saldana has carved out a rewarding niche for herself in action-heavy, big-budget movies, including next month’s Guardians of the Galaxy, in which she plays the emerald-skinned assassin Gamora.

She’s also known as Avatar’s Neytiri, an alien of a different (and entirely computer-generated) colour, as well as Uhura in J. J. Abrams’ rebooted Star Trek franchise.

So why does she keep ending up in outer space? Because that’s where the best roles are.

“I’m doing what makes me happy. I really don’t give a f--- about what other people are saying,” Saldana said in an interview on the film’s set.

In her form-fitting Gamora costume and head-to-toe green body paint – which took more than four hours to apply before each shooting day – Saldana said it’s odd that people seem to single her out for being in sci-fi movies.

“There are certain actors that are good at doing period pieces, and nobody seems to have a problem with them when they’re in corsets movie after movie. Other actors are only superheroes that never cry and always save the day,” she said.

“I like to be in space, there are better roles for women. I don’t have to play someone’s girlfriend all the time.”

Saldana relishes the opportunity to play fierce yet emotionally complex characters like Gamora, who is forced to team up with Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Groot and Rocket Raccoon (the voices of Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper) to save the universe.

“I don’t think I’d want to play a weak character,” she said. “I would want to play a broken character with a lot of issues, and I would try to find strength in her.”

And too often the heroes in sci-fi tend to be men, with women relegated to the role of damsel in distress.

“It’s a bit frustrating when you only see it through the eyes of a male,” said Saldana.

“Even though I can always identify with the story, it would be nice to see someone who looks like me, with t--- bouncing and beating guys up and holding a gun like she’s been doing it for a long time.”

Dave Bautista broke down in tears when he landed 'Guardians' role

It takes a big man to admit that it’s OK to cry. Fortunately, Dave Bautista is a very, very big man.

The hulking WWE superstar and mixed martial artist has wanted few things in his career as badly as he yearned for the role of Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel space opera Guardians of the Galaxy, opening in theatres Aug. 1.

Though he’s had smaller parts in films like Riddick and The Man with the Iron Fists, Bautista was keenly aware that Guardians of the Galaxy would decisively launch his acting career. And when his manager called Bautista to tell him that director James Gunn had chosen him for the part, Bautista pulled his car over to the side of the road and wept. As did his manager.

“He said, ‘Congratulations, you’re Drax.’ And I said, ‘No f---ing way,’ ” recalled Bautista in an interview on the film’s set. “I could hear him crying. I pulled over and just started screaming.”

Despite being a big name in the world of WWE, where he performs as Dave Batista or simply Batista, Bautista knew the transition to Hollywood wouldn’t be easy. His agent had to fight to get Bautista an audition for Guardians of the Galaxy, and through multiple callbacks and meetings, he was never sure where he stood.

“This went on for weeks and weeks, and I’d hear rumours that this guy’s got the part, that guy’s got the part,” said Bautista, who was well aware that Game of Thrones’ Jason Momoa was the frontrunner for Drax.

“I was really heartbroken, but they wouldn’t release me.”

Momoa ultimately turned down the role, and Bautista’s big break was born. It’s interesting to watch Bautista at work, too: where Pratt and Saldana are constantly joking and messing around, Bautista – at least on the day we visited the film’s sets at Shepperton Studios near London – was quieter and more businesslike, fully focused on the task of bringing Drax to life.

It’s a process that begins with 18 silicone prosthetics glued to Bautista’s body, and ends when he pops in the revenge-seeking warrior’s ice-blue contact lenses.

“You feel like a different person,” Bautista said of the physical transformation into his character.